Mumbai builder murder case: Two more arrested; one of them sent to police custody

Mumbai: Two more persons were held in connection with the murder of builder SK Loharia, who was gunned down in the neighbouring Navi Mumbai, taking total number of arrests in the case to six, police said on Wednesday. Altaf Khan (38), a contractor from Mumbra, was nabbed on Tuesday while Mohammed Naseer Ansari (42), who is a real estate agent from Ambernath, was held today, police said.

Khan was produced before a local court, which remanded him to police custody till March 13. The two were involved in the murder conspiracy, said a crime branch official.

"Both were near the crime spot in two vehicles. The accused followed the shooters till the spot, in separate vehicles as per their plan," the official said adding that one of vehicles, which belonged to Khan, was seized. One of the shooters Wazid Qureshi, who escaped the crime site but later arrested, had fled the spot in that vehicle, police said.

Loharia was gunned down by two assailants outside his office at Vashi in Navi Mumbai on February 16.

Loharia, (50), was gunned down by two assailants, who came on bike, outside his office at Vashi in Navi Mumbai on February 16. Locals had caught one of the assailants, Venkatesh Shettiar, who was arrested from the spot, while the other, Qureshi, was later arrested from his home at Mumbra town in Thane district.

During the course of investigation, former encounter cop Emmanuel Amolik was arrested for allegedly ordering the killing of the builder at the behest of absconding prime suspects Suresh Bijlani, who is a builder, and architect Anil Garg, both of whom are absconding now. A few days earlier, an estate agent and developer Sumit Bachewar (41) was arrested from Navi Mumbai for his involvement in the murder conspiracy.